


Breaking All the Rules (I didn't know)

by BekahRose



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Light Dom/sub, M/M, Rentboys, Rimming, safe sex practices
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-22
Updated: 2013-11-22
Packaged: 2018-01-02 08:21:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1054592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BekahRose/pseuds/BekahRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>Summary:</b> Merlin is Uther Pendragon's latest acquisition. On his first night working at Club Camelot, he manages to bag what the other employees call 'A lucrative client'. Uther's thrilled that his hire is already bringing in the money, so imagine Merlin's surprise when not only does his lucrative client turn out to be Uther's son, but his soon-to-be new boss.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breaking All the Rules (I didn't know)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sksdwrld](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sksdwrld/gifts).



> **Disclaimer:** Merlin characters are the property of Shine and BBC. No profit is being made and no copyright infringement is intended.  
>  **Notes:** Mega, mega thanks to [dreamlandloner](http://dreamlandloner.livejournal.com/profile) for the beta. Huge squishes and smooches to [Kitty_Fic](http://archiveofourown.org/users/kitty_fic/pseuds/kitty_fic) and [Waanderlust48](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Waanderlust/pseuds/Waanderlust) and everyone else in Merlin_Chat for the cheerleading. You guys are brilliant!  
>  **Prompt:** Uther is an aging pimp about to turn the business over to his son. He doesn't count on the new trick (Merlin) getting in the way. 
> 
> \-----

****

Breaking All the Rules (I didn't know)

He nods at Freya behind reception as he enters the building, not even stopping to see if there have been changes to his roster. There hasn’t. Uther would have phoned to let him know, or had someone phone him. Of the pimps he’s known, Uther is the only one that rules with an iron fist. He personally escorts each of his employees for their six-monthly doctor’s appointment – it would not do to pass something on to one of the clients, and although Uther’s cut is high, it is considerably less than some of the pimps out there and it covers a multitude of sins which is something Merlin needs after having been used so thoroughly by Cenred.

He bypasses the lounge and slips into the dressing rooms, to change into something more appropriate for his first client. Once he’s dressed; leather pants and a silk button down, he makes his way to the lounge. He stops just outside the curtained off area that hides the lounge and bar and can hear the familiar, rich laughter of his new boss over the gentle strains of something playing over the sound system. He’s not new to the job - in all honesty, he should probably have moved on by now to something less risque - but he is new to Camelot and the type of clientele that Uther brings in. He slips into the lounge as quietly and as unobtrusively as possible, he wants to get the lay of the land, a handle on tonight’s clients before he gets down to the nitty-gritty details of this business.

He circles the room slowly and catches Uther’s eye, who gives him a barely perceptible nod of approval. There are so many clients, Merlin feels intimidated by their presence. This is so different to what Merlin’s used to. So far removed from cold street corners and praying that the next guy he picks up isn’t going to be some undercover police officer. It’s like an entirely different world; one he hopes to remain in for the foreseeable future. Before long a blond at the bar catches his eye and he takes a moment to appraise what he hopes is his next client. His gaze travels across broad shoulders and he silently bemoans the fact that the man is wearing a suit jacket which, while obviously a nice fit, hides the man’s waist and rear. The fact that he can’t see them isn’t necessarily a deal breaker – nothing save disease is ever really a deal breaker – but it would be nice to admire the whole package before he makes his next move. He sidles up to the bar and slips into the seat beside the blond, dipping his head in greeting.

“You’re new,” the blond says in lieu of a hello and Merlin’s smile feels just the little bit strained.

“Yeah, well… new to Camelot, not so new to…” he says, waving his hand in the air to indicate the building. When the blond nods and goes back to his drink, Merlin can’t help but shake his head. Okay, so outside of disease, being a prick is kind of a deal breaker. He murmurs as much under his breath and motions for the bartender. 

“Whiskey, please,” he tells her and tries to remember her name from the long list of brief introductions he was given several days ago, when Uther first bought him in. 

“Thanks... Ellie?” He hesitantly asks and brightens up when the girl gives him a large grin and a wink, setting his drink down in front of him. He turns then and rests against the bar alternating between sipping his drink and observing the crowd.

The music is low and sultry, all heavy bass and breathy vocals and Merlin can’t help but want to move to the music. He watches as one of the other employees enters the room and is instantly swallowed up by a small crowd – no doubt adoring fans, if the gossip from Gwen at the front desk is anything to go by.

“Arthur,” a voice to Merlin’s right says and he turns his head to see that the blond is watching him.

“Nope,” Merlin says. “I’m Merlin.” He takes another sip and goes back to observing the room, immediately dismissing several of the patrons as not being quite the type to be looking for Merlin’s company.

“No, I’m Arthur,” the blond says, drawing Merlin’s attention again.

“Right,” Merlin drawls and looks down into his glass. “Come here often, Arthur? I mean, you must if you recognise the fact that I’m new.” He can see Arthur’s answering shrug from the corner of his eye and turns back to face the bar, motioning for Ellie to get the man another drink and himself a glass of ice water.

When he got into this - just after he’d left Uni and work was scarce even with a degree - he’d been told to get himself some kind of gimmick. Something that would make him stand out amongst all the other pretty boys with tight arses. He’s never really given it much thought until now and the light above him bounces off the rim of his glass. He casts a quick glance at Arthur and starts to slowly drag his finger around the rim of his glass. He tilts his head to watch the other man, try and gauge whether or not he is here for more than just the drinks. It’s not until he turns to face him properly, that he notices Arthur’s gaze is on the mirror at the back of the bar and he’s following a group of men, or rather, one man in particular. Merlin looks over his shoulder at Uther and considers it for a brief moment. Yes, the older man is handsome, but there’s coldness in his eyes that makes him less so, at least to Merlin.

“C’mon,” Arthur says, standing and taking Merlin’s glass from him and setting it on the bar.

“I’m sorry, what?” Merlin asks, incredulous at the way this prick is guiding him none-too-gently out of the lounge and down the long corridor that will lead to the rooms. “You know, you can’t just… Oi!” Merlin manages to slip out from underneath Arthur’s firm hand and stops. “Just who in the bloody hell do you think you are, mate?” He folds his arms over his chest and glares.

Arthur – if that even is his real name and really, Merlin’s going to have to double check with Freya because Uther had _promised_ they screened each client to weed out the fucking crazies – smirks and copies Merlin’s stance.

“Well, this is what you were going to ask, right?” Arthur looks at him with one eyebrow perfectly arched. “It’s why you sat next to me, tried to strike up conversation. I just figured we’d get the bullshit out of the way and cut straight to the core of the matter.”

Merlin is flabbergasted. It’s not that Arthur is right, because he most emphatically is _not_. Sure, that might have been how it started and where Merlin was trying to take it, but he’d figured the guy was an arsehole and just there to look his fill before leaving and heading back to his life, it’s not like he hasn’t seen that before. There are protocols that Merlin’s supposed to follow, particulars that he needs to know before they move from the lounge – Uther had made Merlin sit through fucking _rent boy etiquette_ with fucking Gwaine the Glorious every day for a week! – and this prick just blows all through that like it’s nothing.

“Well?” Arthur asks again after Merlin’s silence fills the hall. “Right, well, my mist-” he’s cut off before he can finish as Merlin steps into his personal space, tugging on the red silky tie at his throat.

“No, no mistake, just… there’s a protocol. Limits need to be set,” he sucks his lower lip between his teeth before letting it slip out, plump and shiny with just a bit of spit. “You need to tell me what you want.” He grins when Arthur’s gaze drops to his mouth.

“Fuck me,” Arthur says and it’s so soft, Merlin leans closer so as to hear it.

When he pulls back, he can see the tension in Arthur’s shoulders and neck and he nods. “Right you are then,” he says, tugging Arthur along by his tie, “this way.”

\----

“Right, as I said before, there are protocols.” Merlin tells Arthur as he shuts the door and sets the automatic timer. The music from the lounge is different in here and Merlin grins to himself when he realises that whomever set up his room for the night, has put his ‘Fucking’ playlist on over the room’s speakers. “You’ve an hour and a half, if you want extra time, you’ll have to call Freya at the front desk,” he says as he motions to the phone, discreetly hidden in the far corner of the room. “I won’t do Omorashi, Age Play, any kind of electro-stimulation, sounding, rape fantasy, watersports, scat, blood play or knife play. If you want any of that, I can recommend someone.” He says and looks at Arthur, awaiting a response. When the other man shakes his head, Merlin continues.

“I do some bondage, and erotic asphyxiation, if you want me to tie you over the pommel,” he motions to the pommel horse on the other side of the room, “and paddle your arse until it’s red, I will. Edgeplay costs extra, and I live by the classic ‘Traffic Light’ standard. Red for stop, Yellow for slow down, at which point we’ll pause and you can consider your options, and Green for all systems go. My safe word is ‘Noddy’.” He pauses to take a breath and looks around the room, giving Arthur and himself some time to think, make sure he’s not forgotten anything.

“What makes you so sure you’ll be the one in charge?” Arthur asks, making Merlin laugh.

“Please, even if you wanted to be the one wielding the paddle, I’m still the one in charge in here.”

“And if I’m gagged?”

“I’ll check in periodically to make sure you’re alright and want to keep going,” Merlin says matter of fact as he crosses the room and rummages in the bedside table for something. “I’ve been doing this a long time; I know how to do my job. Now, trousers down please, I just need to have a quick peek, make sure you’re not… harbouring any fugitives, so to speak, and then we can get down to the more pleasant aspect of this evening’s business.” He holds up a weird looking flashlight and motions for Arthur to drop his trousers and pants before he goes to his knees and inspects Arthur. “Sorry,” he murmurs as he lifts Arthur’s semi-hard cock out of the way. “All part of the protocol. Nothing kills this business faster than a bad case of crabs or a leaky cock.” Satisfied that Arthur is healthy and whole, Merlin flicks off the light and sits back on his heels. “All done, now, do you need to call Freya?”

Arthur hesitates for a moment before nodding.

“Right,” says Merlin, standing up and bringing Arthur’s trousers and pants with him. “I’m going to go and use the loo, freshen up a bit while you organise things with Freya and then we’ll have a good time, yeah?” Merlin reaches for Arthur’s zip and tugs it up slowly, feeling him harden beneath the brush of Merlin’s knuckles. With a quick pat to Arthur’s chest Merlin heads to the connecting bathroom and once he shuts the door, he closes his eyes and slumps forward. He’s not sure whether Arthur is a regular and has any sway with Uther, but the last thing he needed was for Arthur to turn back and head into the lounge and tell Uther that one of his boys was less than accommodating.

\----

“I had them bring up some more water and a bottle of wine,” Arthur says when Merlin steps back into the bedroom. “Dry white okay?”

Merlin nods and sets his boots aside. He’d removed them and his socks in the bathroom and now he scrunches his toes into the plush carpet beneath his feet. He accepts the glass of wine from Arthur and sips it slowly; it would be just his luck that Arthur is a psycho and has slipped a mickey into his drink while he was in the bathroom. His wariness eases somewhat when Arthur takes a large swallow of his own wine. “Did Freya reset the timer?” he asks as Arthur slips his jacket from his shoulders to finally reveal that his shoulders are indeed broad, and that they lead down to a narrow pair of hips and a firm arse. Merlin’s mouth waters at the thought of it up in the air, pink and warm from a sound spanking.

“Yeah, we’ve got the night.”

Merlin chokes on his drink, some of the wine dribbling down his chin. He coughs and splutters, barely registering when Arthur comes and liberates the wineglass from his grip and pats him on the back.

“Sorry… did you have another client?” Arthur asks and when Merlin looks up, he seems genuinely concerned. He waves away the question as he tries to catch his breath and get his brain and mouth to work in sync.

“No, just… Tonight’s my first official night on the books,” he says, blushing somewhat. “I didn’t expect… you know what? It doesn’t matter. The night is good.” Merlin grins, but inside he’s bouncing about and inordinately proud of himself for bagging himself such a well-off client on his first night under Camelot’s roof.

They stand in silence for a few moments, Merlin grinning stupidly and Arthur smirking and shaking his head. It feels different somewhat, _Merlin_ feels different. This isn’t some quick fumble in a seedy looking hotel or in the back of a car on a service road, this is all night – or at least until the club closes at 4am.

“Are you sure you’ve done this before?” Arthur asks, breaking into Merlin quiet reverie.

A laugh bubbles up Merlin’s throat and fills the room. “Plenty, just not like this,” he says and waves a hand around to encompass the room.

“I guarantee you; the basics are still the same.” Arthur tells him and Merlin rolls his eyes.

“Fucking twat,” he says, but there’s no heat in it.

“You can’t talk to your clients that way,” Arthur tells him with an indignant pout.

“Shut up,” Merlin says and takes Arthur’s wineglass and sets it next to his. “My room, my time, my rules. Dance with me.” He pulls Arthur close as something slow and sultry comes over the speakers and starts rolling his hips in time with the beat. He can feel Arthur hard and hot through the material of his trousers and grins before lowering his head to press warm, wet kisses along the stretch of neck not hidden by a stiff collar.

Strong hands grip Merlin’s hips and he smiles as he continues to place little nipping kisses down the side of Arthur’s neck. Merlin smirks when he nips at the skin just on the underside of Arthur’s jaw, causing the blond to throw his head back and a groan to rumble out his chest. The hands at Merlin’s hips tighten and pull him as close as they can possibly get while still separated by layers of leather, wool, silk and cotton.

Merlin slides his hands down to the waist of Arthur’s trousers and starts tugging his business shirt free before beginning to unbutton it from the bottom up, his long fingers dancing across each patch of newly exposed skin as he goes. “Still want me to fuck you?” He asks, breath washing across Arthur’s ear and making him shiver and jerk his hips forward in response. Merlin’s chuckle is low and he slips his fingers up past the knot in Arthur’s tie to undo the last button.

When Arthur moves his hands to start loosening said tie, Merlin growls, grabs his wrists and drags Arthur’s hands back to his hips. “The tie stays,” he manages with a particularly vicious thrust of his hips that makes Arthur whimper and tighten his grip. It takes a bit of work, but before long, Merlin is sliding Arthur’s shirt down his arms; only once it’s sitting in a crumpled heap on the floor, does Merlin return to worshipping Arthur’s neck. He sucks at Arthur’s collarbone, being sure to drag his teeth over the skin every now and then to elicit a whimpering groan from Arthur.

Their lower bodies are doing nothing more than occasionally rolling together when Merlin lowers himself to his knees, mouthing kisses down Arthur’s chest as he goes, biting and sucking at the expanse of golden skin as he goes and delighting in the breathy little gasps that are coming from the man standing above him. He eventually reaches for Arthur’s belt, buckle still undone from when Merlin first inspected him, and begins the torturously slow job of pulling the leather through the loops. Merlin smirks when he hears Arthur curse as he angles the strip of leather down and across the hard cock outlines through his trousers and for a moment, Merlin thinks of using it to jerk Arthur off; it would be nothing to slip the tab back through the buckle and pull until the belt made a wide enough hole and spreading a little lube on the inside to ease the way as he worked it up and down Arthur’s cock. Merlin feels a bolt of pleasure shoot down his spine at the idea of watching Arthur come apart with nothing but the belt and Merlin’s voice murmuring the filthiest things in his ear, but he pushes it aside, drops the belt to the floor and reaches to unzip the trousers in front of him.

Arthur’s cock is thick and heavy, his dark coloured briefs stretched tight across it, a damp patch already forming where the head strains against the material. Merlin grins up at Arthur through his lashes before he leans in and inhales. The scent should be no different to any other john, all sweat and sex and impatience, but it is. It. _Is_. Merlin buries his nose into the placket of Arthur’s pants and breathes deeply. He can smell the standard sweat and soap and the musky smell of precome as it seeps into the cotton fabric, but Merlin can smell apples and cinnamon and it makes his mouth water and he laments that soon enough he’ll have to replace the tantalising scent with latex. He breathes in again, filling his lungs with this smell that is so, obviously unique to the man he’s kneeling before and then he opens his mouth and drags his tongue across the damp patch of the briefs.

“F…uck.” Arthur’s voice is a barely there whisper above him and then Merlin feels strong fingers carding through his hair and gripping tightly. Merlin’s scalp prickles and that prickle radiates downwards, spreading through every nerve to end up a dull throb in his balls.

“Pants and shoes off,” Merlin says after on final inhale of Arthur’s scent and rocking back up onto his feet. He moves to the bedside table, opening up the drawer and pulling out a bottle of lube, some massage oil and a handful of condoms. By rights, he shouldn’t have even _lapped_ at Arthur’s damp pants; outside of kissing and a couple of kinks, there was a rule against the exchange of bodily fluids. Uther had made sure it was drilled into his head before even declaring him fit to start work. No penetration – fingers or otherwise – without a condom or dental dam.

“Better?” Arthur’s voice sounds in Merlin’s ear and warm breath washes over his neck, making him shiver.

Merlin turns and comes face to face with a very naked Arthur - save for his tie - and all he can do is grin. He lets his gaze drop, taking in his chest – well defined but not overly muscled, which is good, because Merlin has never liked men who look like condoms full of walnuts; all tight skin and bulging muscles. He continues to run his eyes over Arthur’s body, toned stomach – not exactly washboard smooth, but strong and flat and it flows into a narrow waistline and hips. A spark of electricity shoots along his spine as he looks at Arthur’s thighs, strong and big and Merlin can already feel them wrapped around his lithe frame while he fucks into him; can imagine the way they press against his ears as he sucks him off.

“Much,” Merlin says, dragging his gaze up to meet Arthur’s and feeling a little surprised as the heat he can see in them. He presses against Arthur’s chest until he has to sit on the edge of the bed or risk being shoved down and when he does, Merlin smiles and steps back while reaching for the hem of his shirt. He starts to unbutton it slowly and is about to let it slide from his shoulders when Arthur stops him with a quiet ‘don’t.’, making Merlin’s eyebrow quirk up in question. It’s not that Arthur’s request is unusual to Merlin – he’s gotten guys off without so much as a hint of skin from below the belt being visible – it’s just not something he was expecting; much in the same way as being booked all night on his first shift at Camelot.

“Leave it… and the trousers,” he says, licking his lips and reaching to snatch up the ends of Merlin’s shirt and tug him closer.

Merlin’s breath catches in his throat when Arthur’s lips brush across his belly and he lets it out in a gasp when Arthur’s tongue dips into his navel a heartbeat before he nips at the edge, teeth pulling at the skin. He raises his hands and pushes his fingers through Arthur’s hair, delighting in the way he groans when Merlin tugs just the right side of too hard. He pulls again, dragging Arthur’s mouth away from his torso and forcing him to look up before he says, “Further up the bed, _now_.”

Merlin steps back as Arthur scrambles to get into the center of the bed; he watches a moment or two as Arthur settles amongst the pillows and palms his cock, eyes darkening as Merlin climbs onto the bed and presses his lips to Arthur’s instep. He continues to slowly make his way up Arthur’s body, trailing nipping kisses up his calves, his tongue darting out to taste the crease of Arthur’s knee when he bends his legs to wrap them around Merlin’s hips in an effort to hurry him along. Merlin tuts and wraps his hands around Arthur’s calves and pulls them away from his waist, spreading them as he runs his hands up Arthur’s inner thighs, following the path up his left leg with teeth, lips and tongue. As he nears his goal, he leans up and reaches over the bed to the nightstand and fumbles for the first foil packet he can reach. As he comes back, he noses up the stretch of skin that connects Arthur’s thigh to his torso, breathing in deeply.

When the condom is in place, Merlin finally looks up at Arthur. This moment is one of his favourite things about this job, his only favourite thing about this job outside of the money; when the john is tense with anticipation. Merlin can see that Arthur is vibrating with it, his muscles tightly clenched and his chin tucked close to his chest so he can watch that moment when Merlin wraps his lips around the head of his cock and sucks him down slowly into a cavern of moist heat. When Arthur’s cock nudges the back of Merlin’s throat, he hollows his cheeks and begins the slow retreat, letting his tongue dance along the underside. He lifts his eyes and smiles around Arthur’s cock as best he can when he sees that Arthur’s head has fallen back amongst the pillows and his hands are clutching at the sheets. Before he swallows back down, he flicks his tongue across the tip and bites back a low chuckle when Arthur groans.

He takes his time, his hands sliding around to grip Arthur’s hips as he brings him to the edge only to ease him back. He can hear the impatience in Arthur’s moans and whimpers and he pulls back far enough to let Arthur slip from his mouth, which he replaces with a loose fist.

“Just get on with it,” Arthur gasps, thrusting his hips in an attempt to find release.

Merlin leans up and crushes Arthur’s lips in a kiss, all teeth and tongue and filthy as he grinds himself into Arthur’s hip. “Why the rush? We’ve all night.” He drops his head to Arthur’s shoulder and drags his teeth across the skin, grinning when Arthur yells out and his hips give a violent thrust.

Merlin laughs and sits back, hesitating over undoing the button of his trousers. Arthur is making the loveliest sounds and for a change, Merlin is allowing them to fuel the fire in his belly, driving him higher and harder than he thinks he ever has been before. He lets his hand fall to his side before giving Arthur a quick, sharp slap to his flank and saying, “Roll over.”

“What?” Arthur lifts his head off the pillow and glares at Merlin. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

“Nope,” Merlin smiles and motions for Arthur to roll over even as he reaches for the massage oil he got out earlier. Arthur grumbles and Merlin’s pretty sure he hears a slight on his parentage, but lets it slide as he does roll over and presents Merlin with an arse that leaves him speechless. “I’ll remember that when I’ve got you _begging_ me to let you come,” he says as he settles himself astride Arthur’s hips.

Arthur’s responding chuckle is low and reverberates through his body causing lust to curl lazily in Merlin’s belly, which is, Merlin thinks as he pours a generous amount of oil into his hand, odd. Yes, a certain amount of lust and enjoyment is needed for this job, but not like what he feels in this moment, with this man. He rubs his hands together before taking to Arthur’s shoulders and begins to massage the tension out of them.

“I won’t be… _Ohhh_ … I won’t be begging for anything,” Arthur says in between groans, his back arching up into Merlin’s fingers.

“We’ll see,” Merlin mutters as he continues to massage further down Arthur’s back until he is nudging Arthur’s legs apart with his knees and drawing his oily thumbs down Arthur’s crack. He grins when Arthur thrusts his rear up in the air, pushing himself into Merlin’s hands. Merlin slips his thumbs down further until they are just brushing against Arthur’s tightly furled pucker. He smirks when he notices the way Arthur’s muscles bunch up again, proving Merlin’s massage pointless though it doesn’t matter because it has done what Merlin needed it to do and that is bring Arthur back down from the edge of orgasm. He’s watching Arthur’s hole twitch as he rubs at its edge with his thumbs when he is struck by the urge to bury his face in between Arthur’s cheeks and drive him back up to the edge.

He slips off the bed, shaking his head when Arthur moves to follow. “No, stay right where you are, I’ll be back in a moment.” He fumbles at the nightstand for something and disappears into the bathroom before he’s back a moment later and resuming his position between Arthur’s legs. “Pillow,” Merlin says, as he sets his items down on the bed and extends a hand for the pillow Arthur thrusts back at him. A tap to Arthur’s hips and Merlin’s able to wedge the pillow under them with a minimum of fuss from Arthur. “Hush, hush,” Merlin says softly, his fingers dancing along the line of Arthur’s back. “You’re going to enjoy this next bit, I assure you.” He opens the bottle of lube and squirts a little onto Arthur’s crack, snickering a little when the coolness of the lube shocks Arthur’s overheated skin, making him jerk into the bed and give a startled yelp.

Merlin watches for a moment as the lube slips down Arthur closer to his entrance before he rubs over it, smearing it around the hole until it glistens. He reaches out and grabs the dental dam he had rushed off to prepare and places it across Arthur and lowers his face to it. It’s not what he wanted when he had the urge to taste Arthur here in his most intimate place, wanted to know if he smelled as enticing down here as he did at the front; but it will have to do because Arthur is a john and Merlin is a rent-boy and there are rules.

 

At the first touch of his tongue through the thin latex, Arthur jumps and groans and Merlin has brace one arm across Arthur’s lower back while holding the dam in place with the other so he can keep going. He curls his tongue, pressing the latex into Arthur before sucking hard. He presses down with the arm across Arthur’s hips to keep from being bucked off the bed and redoubles his efforts. The taste of the latex does nothing for Merlin and he itches to toss it aside in favour of being able to taste _all_ of Arthur and not just patches of skin and his lips.

Before long, he has reduced Arthur to a trembling, writhing mass on the bed beneath him.

Merlin pulls back and rubs his lips while he reaches up and gives Arthur’s balls a gentle tug to stave off his orgasm a little longer. “Roll over,” Merlin says, voice hoarse. He had every intent on taking Arthur while he lay on his belly, but the sounds he was making have made Merlin change his mind, he wants to see Arthur come. Wants to see him hit that edge and fall over while watching Merlin take him apart. Arthur scrabbles onto his back almost knocking Merlin from the bed in the process. Merlin hops from the bed and retrieves the bottle of wine where Arthur had left it after taking a long drink of water.

“Can…” Arthur starts, swallowing a couple of times and Merlin moves back to the bed and presses the bottle of wine to his lips, letting him have a small sip before he continues. “Can you leave your trousers on?”

Merlin grins, eyebrow arching as he says “Yes.” He sets the wine on the nightstand and climbs back onto the bed, reaching for the lube and a couple of foil packets. He opens a condom and slides it over his index finger before slowly probing at Arthur’s hole. He has to bite his lower lip as his finger slips past the tight ring of muscle, sinking into Arthur to the first knuckle. He pulls back and wriggles a second finger inside the condom before pushing them into Arthur and slowly starting to prepare him properly.

It’s not too much longer before Arthur is thrusting against his hand in an attempt to drive Merlin’s fingers deeper, and the first plea falls from his lips.

“Oh God,” he groans as Merlin works a third finger into the condom and inside him. “Please, oh fuck, _please_.”

Merlin’s chuckle is breathless as he pulls out, heart and stomach twisting at the disappointed noise Arthur makes. He leans forward and presses his lips to Arthur’s chest in what he hopes is a soothing gesture. “Just give me a moment,” he says softly, blowing cool air across Arthur’s overheated skin as he moves away to unbutton his trousers.

The moment the first button pops free, relief washes through Merlin as some of the pressure on his straining dick is removed. He can feel himself skating closer to the edge of his own orgasm with each button he undoes and slips a hand inside his trousers and gives his balls a quick, sharp tug to keep from blowing his load before he even has half a chance to get the condom on and get inside Arthur. He finally, _finally_ is free of his trousers though they hang low on his hips and cling to his thighs, and he knows that when he eventually gets to strip down, it is going to be a serious pain in the arse. Merlin fumbles with the condom, his fingers trembling as the anticipation reaches almost unbearable levels.

Finally, it’s on and he’s lined up with Arthur’s hole. It’s insane, were anyone watching them – watching him – they’d think this was the first time he’d done this, he’s trembling and sweating and when Arthur looks at him, something inside him shatters and he thrusts forward until he’s buried to the hilt.

Merlin freezes once he’s pressed flush against Arthur, his breath coming out in short, sharp little gasps. He bites his lip in an attempt to ground himself and think of anything but coming right then and there, but it’s so hard when all he can think of is tight heat and the need to thrust until he’s freefalling into his orgasm.

“For fuck’s sake, _move_.” Arthur grits out, his legs coming up to wrap around Merlin’s waist and his hand tugging Merlin down so he can soothe the lip Merlin’s been biting down on with his tongue.

It’s his voice and the feel of those massive thighs lifting, letting Merlin slide in deeper, and wrapping around his waist the finally snaps Merlin out of his daze. He pulls his hips back, relishing in the drag of Arthur’s tight hole around his cock, before he slams back in. He grins against Arthur’s lips when the other man groans, his hips thrusting up to meet Merlin’s.

“So fucking… _tight_ ,” Merlin manages as he continues to pump in and out of Arthur, licking and nipping at his lips. He flings his head back with a yell when he feels Arthur clamp down on him, and it is _exquisite_. Clutching and squeezing in ways that Merlin never thinks about, not normally at any rate. He hums when he feels a pair of lips wrap around his Adam’s apple and increases the speed of his thrusts. When Arthur whimpers on a particularly hard thrust, Merlin stills and begins a hard, slow grind of his hips.

“ _Fuckfuckfuckfuck_ ,” Arthur writhes beneath Merlin, clutching at him, trying to draw him closer when Merlin feels one of Arthur’s hands sneaking in between them to grab at his cock.

Merlin leans down on his elbow and uses his free arm to bat Arthur’s hand away, sucking at his jaw before leaving a trail of messy kisses to Arthur’s mouth to stop him from whining. When Arthur pulls back, Merlin shifts his hips just enough to wrap his fingers around Arthur’s prick, squeezing lightly.

“Fuck, _please_ Merlin, _please_ just… I need… have to… _fuck_.” Arthur’s head is thrown back against the pillows; neck arched as he seeks the release Merlin has denied him so far.

Merlin increases his thrusts and tightens his hand around Arthur’s cock. There’s just enough lube and sweat on Merlin’s hand and the condom from earlier to make it an easy glide through his fists. He lowers his head and sucks Arthur’s earlobe in between his lips, biting down gently before letting go. “C’mon,” he says, twisting his wrist on the upstroke. “Come. That’s what you want isn’t it? Come for me, Arthur.”

He pulls back just far enough to watch Arthur’s face as he flies apart in the bracket of Merlin’s arms. Arthur’s body is pulled tight as a bow-string, his legs clamping around Merlin’s waist while his internal muscles clamp around his dick. It is torture as Merlin continues to thrust as best he can and it’s only two more hard thrusts and the sound of Merlin’s leather-clad thighs slapping against Arthur’s arse that drives him over the edge.

Merlin collapses to the side, his chest feels like it’s about to explode as he tries to catch his breath. He can feel Arthur’s chest rising and falling and knows that his heart is beating a tattoo against his ribcage as well. He rolls to the side and moans as he slips out of Arthur. When he gets up to dispose of the condoms and dental dam, he feels a strong hand clutch at his arm and he looks down at Arthur over his shoulder. He smiles down at Arthur, taking in the sweat-slick hair and somewhat dazed. “Made you beg,” he says teasingly. “Twice in fact.”

Arthur’s smile is slow and lazy. “Don’t go just yet?” he asks, his fingers drawing circles on the inside of Merlin’s elbow.

Something unknown and new has been sputtering in Merlin’s chest since he led Arthur into the room and at Arthur’s request, it bursts into life and he nods. “Yeah, just… let me go and get something to clean up with,” he leans down and presses a quick kiss to Arthur’s lips before standing up and walking to the bathroom where he wets a washcloth before taking it back out to clean up Arthur and himself.

When he’s done and the cloth is in the laundry basket in the bathroom and the used condoms and dental dam are tied up and in the bin, he crawls back into the bed and Arthur wraps his arms around Merlin and buries his face in his chest.

“Is it… that was…” He fumbles for the right word and when Merlin looks down, he can just see a little bit of pink highlighting Arthur’s cheeks.

“Intense.” Merlin supplies for him and feels him nod. Before long, they are both dozing, legs entangled. It’s going to be a long night.

\----

“Ah, there he is,” Uther’s voice freezes Merlin to the spot as he steps into the lounge.

His hair is still slightly damp and just curling around his ears so he’s expecting the huff of exasperation when Uther looks at him. In the last week – since his first shift at Camelot – Uther has done his utmost to try and get Merlin to change his image, but Merlin is determined and refuses to look like anyone or anything other than what he is.

“Mr Pendragon?” Merlin approaches his boss with something akin to trepidation. He has had no shortage of patrons, his behaviour has been above board and he has only had to have one patron escorted from the premises and that had been because he had imbibed a little too much at the bar.

“Merlin, I’d like you to meet the man who’ll be taking over from me in the next month or so,” he says and Merlin prepares himself to woo his future employer. There had been talk of course, when he’d been going through the ‘screening process’ as Gwaine and the other employees liked to call it, that Uther would soon be stepping down and leaving the club in someone else’s hands. Merlin had been too new and too overwhelmed to really give it much more than a cursory thought. However, when Uther steps back and Merlin is brought face to face with the man he spent his very first night at Camelot with his throat dries and it feels as though he’s swallowed sawdust. Beside his boss stands the patron Uther has been hoping will return and become a regular for Merlin as it means extra pounds in his pockets at the end of the working week as well as Merlin’s.

“I’d like you to meet my son, Arthur.” Uther says and Merlin can feel his stomach drop through the floor and into the very depths of the earth. “He has a head for business and will be spending the next month learning the last few ropes before I retire.”

Arthur’s hand is extended and Merlin looks down at it, almost surprised by the formality when all Merlin can see when he looks at that hand is how almost exactly, one week ago, it was wrapped around his cock, stroking him to completion.

“Merlin?” Uther is looking at him pointedly and frowning.

“Sorry,” Merlin smiles and quickly takes Arthur’s hand in his, eyes widening slightly when Arthur’s thumb brushes over the back of Merlin’s hand. “Mr Pendragon, nice to meet you.”

“You too, Mr…” Arthur trails off and lifts an eyebrow in question.

“Oh!” Merlin grins, “Just Merlin is fine.”

“Hmmm,” Arthur hums and Merlin can feel his gaze burning into him.

“Merlin here is one of our newest… acquisitions.” Uther says, smiling and clapping Merlin on the shoulder. “Not even working here a day and already he had a mysterious patron prepared to book him for an entire evening.” He looks around the room and Merlin follows his gaze until it rests on Gwaine and the usual crowd that surrounds him, vying for his attentions. Uther grins then, and Merlin is sure he can see dollar signs in Uther’s eyes. 

“Not even Gwaine was that lucky during his first week with us.” He gives Merlin’s shoulder another slap and Merlin just manages to keep from wincing at the weight behind it. “Well, we’ll not keep you,” Uther says. “I’m sure you’ve piqued the interest of many a patron this evening, dressed as you are,” and the way Uther looks Merlin over unsettles him somewhat before he carries on. “I just wanted to make sure you were aware of the changes to management.”

Merlin nods slowly, feeling himself blush under the hard stare of Arthur as he steps back. “Again, nice to meet you, Mr Pendragon,” he says before disappearing to the other side of the lounge and one of the patrons he has become fairly familiar with during the last week.

\----

“Merlin!” Frey says as he steps into reception and his blood runs cold as he turns to face her.

“Yes?” He offers her a small smile as she waves him closer. It’s been two weeks since he was formally introduced to Arthur and three since that first night, it won’t be much longer now until Arthur is his official boss and it’s taken everything Merlin has not to hand in his resignation.

“Just wanted to let you know, your eight o’clock is here and in the bar,” she says, grinning.

Merlin frowns, it’s not unusual for a patron to come in and request a certain person at a specific time but Merlin is positive that that was not the case for him this evening. “Are you sure?” He asks, already fumbling for his phone and the electronic planner he keeps for any pre-booked clients he has to meet. “I’m supposed to be working the Lounge this evening.”

Frey’s grin grows and she waves Merlin’s phone away. “He called about twenty minutes ago to make the booking, I tried calling but maybe you were on the Tube or something.” And when Merlin looks down, sure enough his phone is blinking at him with a missed call. “It’s Mr Du Bois, the man from your first night,” she says and Merlin feels his face tighten in an effort to keep his smile in place.

Mr Du Bois – _Arthur_. Arthur is going to be waiting for him at eight o’clock. Merlin steps back from the reception desk, his stomach twisting itself into knots as he looked at the time. “Right, well, I need to shower and get ready. Can you get someone to send him back to my suite when it’s time?” When Freya nods, he turns on his heel and all but flees towards the changing rooms.

\----

Before Merlin can say anything, can even _think_ to say anything, Arthur is on him. His arms are around Merlin’s shoulders; his mouth is kissing Merlin’s open so his tongue can explore the shape and texture of Merlin’s own. Arthur hasn’t given him any time to think or prepare or discuss protocol and from the fierceness with which he is trying to crawl inside Merlin’s body, that had probably been his plan all along.

It isn’t until he has Merlin backed up against the door to the bathroom that Merlin’s senses finally start to kick back in. When Arthur pulls back to breathe, he uses it as an opportunity to slip out from Arthur’s grip and back away. “You need to stop,” he says, putting the pommel horse between them.

“Why?” Arthur’s kiss swollen lips and dark eyes are enough to make Merlin’s knees wobble and he grabs onto the horse, just in case.

“Why?” Merlin asks, incredulous. “You can’t be serious!” Merlin shakes his head and turns away to gather his thoughts. “Perhaps because you’re my fucking boss,” he hisses and glares at the blond still standing in the doorway to the bathroom.

“So?” Arthur shrugs, folds his arms over his chest and leans against the doorframe, looking for all the world that this isn’t really as big a problem as what Merlin’s making of it.

Merlin’s responding chuckle is dry and cynical as he whispers, “I can’t fucking believe this.” He runs his hands through his hair and looks at Arthur, gaze narrowed in an attempt to figure out just what the fuck game he is trying to play.

“Look,” he begins. “I’m not sure if Uther has explained how this works,” he says slowly. “But, you can’t just come in here and… and… fuck with the talent.”

“I’m not fucking with the talent,” Arthur says slowly, as though Merlin needs it spelled out for him and that just makes Merlin want to leap across the horse and give the bloody prat a black eye.

“Look, just because I’m new to Camelot, does not mean I’m an idiot.” Merlin says. “This is like… the Code of Ethics for Prostitutes.”

Arthur silently mouths that back to him and Merlin feels the anger and frustration and humiliation turning over in his belly. “Yes, the first rule of Fucking for Money is Choose Your Clients Wisely, that means: no junkies, no one who looks like they might still get carded when they pop in the pub, no drunks, no fellow prostitutes and certainly not your fucking pimp. Christ knows you already take enough from us with your ‘thirty percent off the top’.”

“Uther only takes twenty!” Arthur is indignant and Merlin feels a little bad at having lumped in the Pendragons with many of the other pimps out there.

“It doesn’t matter!” Merlin yells, his temper finally getting the better of the situation. “You just… you can’t fuck your employees, it’s _unethical_!”

Arthur’s laugh is derisive and it only serves to make Merlin angrier. “Oh yes, because this business is full of ethics.” He watches Merlin and Merlin knows he can see the tension in his lithe frame, knows that Arthur is waiting for him to lash out, to do something, anything.

“Do you want to sack me, is that it?” Merlin asks. “I mean, I’m the newest employee and they always say ‘last in, first out.’ If you want to sack me, just… just fucking do it. Don’t screw with my head, it’s not like I can’t get the work elsewhere.”

“What?” Arthur’s face is screwed up in confusion. “You’re not getting the sack.”

“Then you need to leave the suite,” Merlin says as calmly as he can and motions to the door.

Arthur pulls his fingers through his hair and watches Merlin closely and Merlin can’t help but watch back from behind the horse. They’ve come to a stalemate and Merlin sure as hell is not going to be the first to break it. This is his job dammit, and he’s bloody brilliant at it and being at Camelot is better than working for Cenred out of Escetir and he is _not_ going to just roll over and let this prat chase him from it. The silence between them is thick, just like the tension and Merlin just wants to tear his hair out because, even though he’s a rent-boy, he has standards and a set of personal ethics he never wanted to compromise and for all that he’s angry with Arthur for making him do just that on that first night, there’s that flicker of something in his belly that says he wants to do it again.

“Is it always like that for you?” Arthur asks after a while and the silence has become deafening. When Merlin gives him a look of confusion, he continues. “That night, before you knew who I was… is every night with a client like that for you?”

Merlin makes a little moue of understanding and moves to sit on the floor across from Arthur, back pressed into the wall and knees pulled up to his chest. “Honestly?” He asks, twisting his neck to look up and meet Arthur’s gaze. “No. It was… it was different.”

Arthur slides down the bathroom door and copies Merlin’s pose. “You’re sure?” He asks, brow furrowed and Merlin isn’t entirely sure how he is supposed to answer, isn’t entirely sure he has an answer, so he shrugs.

“You wanted an honest answer,” Merlin looks over to the bed and rubs at his neck, attempting to get some of the tension to go away. “I never normally do… well, okay I do all of that. But never all in the one session and some of that stuff… the rimming… a client has to request it because there’s a lot of… well, there’s not a lot of prep involved, but without the right dental dams it can be awkward as hell.

“But with you… I _wanted_ to do all of that. I didn’t care that it was awkward, I cared that I had to waste time in getting a dental dam ready when all I wanted to do was taste you and fuck the consequences. At first I thought it was because it was my first night and you were my first client, but it wasn’t.” Merlin can’t bring himself to look at Arthur, not when it feels like he’s spilling his guts out across the floor of the suite.

“It wasn’t?” Arthur’s voice is so soft that Merlin almost doesn’t hear him.

“I’ve never been as disappointed in my entire life as the night I found out you were Uther’s son and were going to be my new boss. I wanted to laugh in Uther’s face and tell him he was an idiot; that you couldn’t possibly be his son because you were my client. A client he has been gagging to meet, I should tell you.”

 

“You wanted to see me again?” Arthur’s gaze sharpens and Merlin can hear the tentative victory in his voice.

Merlin’s laugh is hollow. “How could I not?” he drops his head and covers it with his arms, wishing he could just disappear. “It was different… _you’re_ different,” he speaks into the space between his torso and his knees where they are bent up against his chest. “This is a job, just like any other and we’re not supposed to want our clients. Not supposed to form an emotional… thing… with or for our clients because it’s not permanent, it’s not built to last, but you? Oh no, you just waltz in here like you own the fucking place and break the rules. Rules, which - might I add - are ultimately set up to protect _you_ from the likes of _me_.” He lifts his head to glare across the room at Arthur only to jump when he realises Arthur is right there.

“Merlin,” Arthur says softly, crouching down so they can be somewhat eye-to-eye. “I _do_ own the fucking place.” His grin is infectious and Merlin can’t stop the laughter that’s bubbling up in his chest, doesn’t _want_ to stop it.

As he tilts his head back to let the laughter out, Arthur is there, stifling it with his lips. It’s not the same kind of kiss as when Arthur first came into the room, it’s slow and steady and while there is plenty of heat behind it, it’s not the raging inferno it was when Arthur had him baled up at the bathroom door. When Arthur pulls back, Merlin is breathless and the something that had flared to life that first night with Arthur burns brighter and hotter than before and Merlin knows that it has roots that go deep into his core. He knows because the thought of walking out of this room, away from Arthur, aches like he’s been kicked in the chest by a fucking horse.

It must show on his face, the indecision and the fear of what he’s considering, because Arthur pulls back and gives him a sad smile, saying, “I’ll go if you want me to.”

“You should go anyway,” Merlin tells him, letting his head fall back against the wall.

“And if I don’t?” Arthur’s getting frustrated, Merlin can tell. This close and Merlin can see the tension in his neck spreading down to his shoulders in an effort to keep from doing something; he’s not too sure what.

“Then I’ll have to,” he says, the words getting stuck in his throat. “I can’t work here and want you, Arthur. This job doesn’t work that way, it _can’t_ work that way.”

“What if I said it could?” The look of hope on Arthur’s face when he asks makes Merlin feel miserable like he hasn’t in a while, like he hasn’t since his first trick.

“Can you look me in the eye right now and tell me that watching me walk out of the lounge, some other bloke’s tongue down my throat; hand at my trousers isn’t going to make you sick to your stomach? Isn’t going to make you see red and green in turns?” When Arthur looks away, Merlin’s smile is both sad and victorious. “No, of course you can’t,” he says sadly and reaches out to brush Arthur’s hair back from his face.

“I could pay you,” Arthur says suddenly and Merlin feels his stomach twist sharply and he can tell just from the look on Arthur’s face that even he regrets the words as they fill the chasm that’s opened between them.

“You don’t want that,” Merlin says softly. “And in all truthfulness, I don’t want that either. Not from you… not from someone I genuinely want to give my time to.” Merlin stands up then, pulling Arthur with him.

Arthur pulls him close as soon as they’re standing, his arms wrapping around Merlin as he buries his face in Merlin’s neck. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” he trails off, voice muffled.

Merlin shrugs, it’s not like he hasn’t heard it before. Will had thrown it up in his face about six months after Merlin had started working at Escetir. Had thrown a handful of pound notes at the man he had professed to love while snarling that he may as well buy Merlin’s time just like every other bloke because fuck knows he wasn’t around enough to give his time freely. “It’s alright,” he says as he pulls away from Arthur, giving him his best cheeky smile.

\----

Uther says nothing as he hands in his notice of resignation, effective immediately. Merlin’s fingers tremble and he snatches them back quickly before shoving his hands behind his back.

“I’m sorry Mr Pendragon, but this is a chance I’ve been waiting for and I cannot let it pass me by.” And Merlin is genuinely sorry. Sorry for fucking things up and sorry for having to lie in order to void his six month contract well before it’s up.

“And you’re sure it’s not a client or co-worker?” Uther asks, looking from the letter in his hands up to Merlin, brow furrowed. “Cenred hasn’t been harassing you, has he?”

Merlin shakes his head. “I’m sure. It’s just… I applied for an… engineering position… while I was still with Escetir, I didn’t think I’d get it, but now that I have,” he shrugs and looks properly contrite. “It’s a chance to use my degree and as much as I enjoy the money that comes from working here, I can’t stay on.”

Uther nods slowly, although he doesn’t look totally convinced. “Well then, I wish you luck with this new job. Your clients will be upset, but I’m sure I can find a suitable replacement for them. See Freya on your way out and she’ll give you the correct forms you need to fill in to receive your last pay cheque.” He goes back to reading the file he had been reading when Merlin arrived, and Merlin knows a dismissal when he sees one.

“Thank you, Mr Pendragon,” he says softly as he leaves the office.

Freya gives him a sad smile as she gathers the right paperwork but before she can pass it to him, the intercom comes to life with a crackle of static and Uther’s voice comes over the line.

_“Freya, bring me Mr Emrys’ booking sheets from the start-date of his employment.”_

Freya’s eyes widen and she looks up at Merlin who shakes his head and shrugs again. “Right away, Mr Pendragon,” she says as she slides Merlin the forms. “Fill the top two out, then fax them or bring them back to me, that third one is your med-clearance. Fill it out and make sure you bring it with you on the date marked at the top. Someone will be here to escort you to see the physician and he’ll run the usual. It’s just to make sure you’re not leaving due to misconduct or as the result of being hurt in the workplace.”

Merlin knows that when she says hurt, she means given some kind of disease and when she says misconduct, she means raped. It’s not a regular occurrence – especially in high-class places like Camelot – but it can still happen if the wrong sort of client manages to slip beneath the radar. “Not a problem,” he says, tucking the paperwork into his bag and making for the door back out onto the street.

\----

“How’s the new job?” Percy asks as he and Merlin step out into the sun, headed for the car.

“Oh,” Merlin says, squinting up into the sky, hoping that the security guard-cum-driver won’t hear the lie in his voice. “Yeah, good but busy. Spent the last two weeks learning the ropes, bit of a pain in the arse to have to do the typical nine to five thing, but I’ll get over it.”

Percy’s laugh is more of a rumble deep in his chest as he ushers Merlin into the car, and Merlin, never one to pass up an opportunity, uses the time it takes Percy to get around to the driver’s side to get his story straight. It wouldn’t do to get caught up in a lie, not when it has the potential to get back to Uther _or_ Arthur. As Percy pulls the car out into traffic, Merlin prays that it’ll be a quiet trip to the physicians but when Percy turns down the radio, he knows that it’s going to be anything but.

“Not sure if you knew, but, Camelot’s got a new boss,” he says, voice soft and thoughtful as he navigates the car away from Camelot.

“Uh, yeah, Uther introduced me just after I started working,” Merlin tells Percy, turning his head to look out the passenger side window. It’s been a little over a month since he last saw Arthur and he’d be lying if he said that he wasn’t curious to find out how he’s taken to handling the business and the employees, but he knows that that way lies madness because it hurts, still… _more_. Hurts more than it did the night Merlin kissed him on the cheek and walked out of the club, leaving him standing still as stone in the suite he’d paid good money for. And he had paid, because when Merlin had gone to pick up his last pay slip, the evidence in black and white had made his anger boil and he’d had to leave the club before hunting the bastard down and smashing his face in. He clenches his fist and focuses back on the passing scenery, realising belatedly that Percy had just said something.

“Sorry, Perce, what was that?” He asks, giving the man a wan smile when he raises an eyebrow in question. “Sorry, long week.”

Percy nods and repeats himself, “I said, seems like it was a good idea to change hands when they did. Camelot’s seeing more business, especially with the influx of new female employees.”

“Right,” Merlin says slowly. “Well, he’s young so I’m sure he has an idea on what the club might need.” When Percy’s brow furrows, Merlin frowns. “What?”

“Don’t you mean ‘she’?” Percy asks before laughing at the look of confusion on Merlin’s face.

“Um, no, pretty sure Arthur Pendragon’s a bloke,” Merlin replies even as he replays every moment of that one night with Arthur. “Uther introduced me himself.”

Percy shakes his head, “Nah, mate s’not Arthur running Camelot. Uther’s step-daughter, Morgana took over after Arthur and Uther got into a fight.” He shrugs and turns into the street that the physician is located on. “Not a bad fight, mind. Arthur just wanted to focus on starting his own business, got a club called Albion.”

Merlin raises an eyebrow at that. “And Uther’s okay with him opening his own place? I don’t see that happening.”

Percy shakes his head, brow furrowed in concentration as he tries to navigate the road-side parking space. “Not that type of club, just a nightclub. Dancing, music, drinking. He’s got a strict ‘No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service’ policy, he asked me to help him screen bouncers. I think the fight had more to do with Uther wanting to leave Camelot in capable hands, but Morgana seems to be doing a great job, and Arthur checks the books once a month, just to make sure Camelot is in the black.”

Merlin’s heart began to hammer the moment Percy had said ‘just a nightclub’. “Oh, well, that’s great news for them then.” Merlin felt his smile stretch awkwardly across his face as he got out of the car and made his way to the door of the doctor’s office. “Right, well, won’t be too long. See you when I get out?” He gives Percy the thumbs up when he nods and disappears inside the building, all the while attempting to stop his heart from beating out of his chest and onto the street.

\----

There’s a line outside the club that snakes down the street and Merlin can’t quite believe it. It’s not been open for more than a month. He lifts his head and looks up at the sign, all red and gold and screaming class and Merlin feels woefully underdressed. He begins to make his way towards the back of the line when he spots Percy at the door.

“Merlin!” Percy’s voice carries above the din of the crowd and the bass that’s thumping through the walls of the club. Merlin approaches him and can’t help the surprised look on his face.

“Perce! Don’t tell me you’ve given up Camelot?” He grins and shakes the proffered hand.

Percy’s rumbling laugh wraps around Merlin and he shakes his head, “Nah, just doing a favour for Pendragon because his regular called in sick. Are you planning on stopping?”

Merlin looks at the door past Percy’s shoulder then back at the crowd and shrugs. “Was thinking about it,” he says. “But maybe another day, when the line-up isn’t so…” he waves his hand in the direction of the crowd.

Percy shakes his head and unclips the rope separating the public from the door to the club. “No lining up for Camelot staff, boss’s orders.” He says ushering Merlin into the area behind the rope. “Past or present, I’ve already let Gwaine in.” He smiles and gives Merlin a gentle push towards the door. “Go, blow off some steam.”

Merlin grins and slips inside the club, already digging his wallet out to pay the cover. It’s dark, but not so dark he can’t see in front of him and the music is loud and he can feel the bass vibrate through to his core. It’s not overly crowded – not entirely justifying the line-up outside – but as he makes his way to the bar, Merlin notices that there is a certain type of patron. He grins at a woman as she tries to slip past him and his grin widens when the lights pass over them for a brief moment and he can see the blush staining her freckled cheeks. He watches her walk away and can’t help but feel a little proud that Arthur’s clientele is not all tall, blond and made-for-Hollywood. Another girl brushes past him, obviously a member of staff if the square bucket full of empty glasses and bottles she’s lugging around is anything to go by, and he takes the opportunity to follow her in the hopes that she’s heading towards a bar.

She is.

Merlin smiles when the bartender approaches him, orders his drink and then goes back to people watching. He’s not looking for anyone in particular – maybe Gwaine, after all Percy had said he’d already been let in – just enjoying the chance to watch a crowd without the pressure of finding someone to lead away to a back room. He rolls his neck and finds the freckled girl from before, laughing and dancing with a group of people and he lets out a bark of laughter when one of the men dancing with her turns and it’s Gwaine.

“I think she’s his girlfriend,” a voice says into his ear, causing Merlin to nearly spill his drink down the front of his shirt when he jumps.

His heart hammering in his chest, he turns and comes face to face with Arthur. He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t hoped he’d see Arthur, but he _definitely_ had not hoped on Arthur seeing him. “A-Arthur,” he says, reaching past the other man to set his drink on the bar. As soon as his drink is safe, he tucks his hands in his pockets to keep them from trembling out in the open. He doesn’t mind if Arthur sees the effect he has on him – is pretty certain Arthur already knows – but he needs a way to keep from reaching out and touching him because he knows that the _moment_ he touches Arthur, he’s done for. 

“Place looks great,” he says, gaze darting around the club and Merlin’s either looking for someone who might help him get out of this awkward as fuck situation, or the exit. He’s not too sure.

“How’d you get in here?” Arthur asks and Merlin feels his stomach sink to his shoes. He’d known this was a bad idea, the moment he’d started considering having a look at the club.

“Uh, Percy let me in?” He looks down and away, not really wanting to let Arthur see just how much his question stings. “I paid the cover charge, but really, I just popped in to see Gwaine and he’s busy, so I can go now.” He gives Arthur a tight smile and pushes his way past the man before hoping that the crowd will swallow him up so he can leave just as quietly as he arrived.

The green exit sign is not too far away when Merlin feels a large hand wrap around his elbow and he’s pulled to a stop. He looks down at the hand – knows that it’s Arthur’s – but he follows it up until his gaze locks with Arthur’s. His breath stops in his chest and he can’t be sure whether it’s just the lighting or if Arthur’s gaze is dark because of something else entirely.

“I’m… I’m going,” Merlin says loudly to be heard over the music and he waves his hand at the door. “No need to escort me.”

Arthur shakes his head and leans in, his breath washing over Merlin’s ear making the hair on the back of Merlin’s neck stand up. “Come with me,” he says and gives Merlin’s arm a gentle tug.

Merlin pulls back to look at Arthur before throwing a look over his shoulder at the door leading back out to the street. He’s torn between wanting to flee and wanting to follow Arthur, he’s not sure he’s entirely ready for whatever Arthur has to say but something in him wants to hear it so he turns slowly and is pleasantly surprised when Arthur’s shoulders slump in relief. He follows as Arthur leads him to a darkened stairway at the side of the bar and up to what he assumes is Arthur’s office. Arthur ushers Merlin inside, being sure to shut and lock the door behind them before he goes to stand awkwardly by the desk.

Merlin uses the sudden, awkward silence to look around and inspect Arthur’s office. It’s no wonder he’d been able to find Merlin in the sea of bodies around the bar; the front of his office is three large, floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall windows. When he’d first stepped inside the club and looked around, he’d assumed they were mirrors. From where he stands now, he can see Gwaine tugging the freckled girl away from the dance floor; his head tilted towards her as though listening to her speak. It’s quiet up here, and Merlin says so.

“Yeah, I wanted a quiet space so went the extra mile when it came to soundproofing. It’s one of the reasons for the windows.” Arthur’s smile is shy and a little bit pained; Merlin guesses it’s from feeling awkward, because God knows Merlin is feeling awkward as fuck.

“Is that how you knew I was here?” Merlin asks, still watching the writhing crowd below.

“Yeah,” Arthur’s voice is soft, making Merlin turn back to him.

“So, what can I do for you?” He asks, thrusting his hands in his pockets and leaning against the chair opposite Arthur.

“I contacted Caerleon,” he says slowly, moving to sit on the edge of his desk. “They received your application, but you weren’t successful.”

Merlin scowls and stands up ramrod straight. “You were checking up on me?” Arthur’s eyes widen and his face pales in the face of Merlin’s annoyance and Merlin _knows_ that he obviously didn’t mean for that titbit of information to come out. “What the fuck, Arthur? You can’t… Jesus. You just can’t _do_ things like that. You have no right.”

Arthur curls in on himself and Merlin can see the sheepish look on his face and Merlin knows that calling Caerleon isn’t all he’s done. “What else?” Merlin asks, feeling as though an ice-covered rock has settled in the pit of his stomach.

“I called Escetir, I thought maybe you’d gone back to working for Cenred,” Arthur says and even in the low lighting of the office, Merlin can see the embarrassed flush spreading across his cheeks.

“You what!?”

“I wanted to find you,” he says quickly, hands up in an attempt to soothe Merlin’s obvious ire, and if it’s not obvious by now, it will be when Merlin reaches across the space between them and punches him in the gob. “My father was livid when he discovered I’d… we’d…” he trails off and gives Merlin a tiny shrug.

“That’s not my fault,” Merlin says, curling his hands into fists in an attempt to keep from lashing out. “I had no idea who you were that first night, and I put a stop to it as soon as the truth came out.”

“Yeah, it wasn’t you he was pissed at,” Arthur says and he looks past Merlin, out the window at the club. “He read me the riot act, basically told me the same things you did and then told me he’d be letting my sister take over the running of Camelot.”

“So, I’m not in trouble?” Merlin asks, frowning.

“No, in fact if you walked back into Camelot today, Morgana will gladly offer you your job back… if you… wanted it?” He smiles at Merlin, but it’s tight and doesn’t reach his eyes and Merlin feels something twist in his gut at the hesitant question in Arthur’s voice.

“Right,” Merlin says nodding, “thanks.” He unclenches his fists and pats the back of the chair. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He’s almost at the door, is just about to open it, when Arthur’s at his back.

“Do you want it?” He asks; voice barely a whisper against the back of Merlin’s neck, making him shudder.

“Want what?” He has to swallow twice before the words come out and he’s sure Arthur can hear the way his heart is pounding almost as loud as the bass in the club below them.

Arthur huffs a laugh against Merlin’s neck and before Merlin can think, there’s the weight of a forehead resting between his shoulders. “The job back at Camelot. It’s yours if you want it.”

“Well I can’t deny the money wouldn’t be great,” Merlin says softly, holding his entire body still as he can while he weighs up his next words. “And I’d be more than happy to go back,” he can feel the tension radiating off Arthur in waves as he stops and licks his lips before he keeps on going. “In an advisory capacity, but I started a new job today that requires more of my time, with the promise of regular hours.”

“Oh?” Arthur asks and Merlin feels the tentative brush of fingers at his waist.

“Hmm,” He replies. “Gaius – the physician Camelot uses – was looking for a new receptionist and filing clerk, found out I was leaving Uther’s service and asked if I’d had any experience and offered me the job.”

“Are you sure?” Arthur asks and Merlin misses the weight of his head between his shoulders when he lifts it to turn Merlin and meet his gaze.

“Very,” Merlin says, a slow smile spreading across his face and before Arthur can say anything more, he grips Arthur’s face between his hands and pulls him into a slow, filthy kiss. When Arthur moans into his mouth, Merlin grins and pulls back, biting down on his lower lip as he looks up at Arthur through hooded eyes.

Merlin watches as Arthur’s gaze flickers to his mouth and his tongue peeks out to chase the taste of Arthur from his lips and to soothe the tiny indentations left behind by his teeth. “And this… this is okay?” He asks Arthur, unable to contain his grin when Arthur nods before pinning him up against the office door, fingers scrabbling at his shirt to move it so he can reach Merlin’s skin.

Arthur breaks their kiss, resting his forehead against Merlin’s so he can look down between their bodies. Merlin feels drunk, for all that he had maybe two sips from his scotch before Arthur had come to him down in the club and he laughs when Arthur’s fingers skitter across a particularly ticklish patch of skin as he tries to unbutton Merlin’s shirt. Gathering what strength he can, he wraps his arms around Arthur’s neck and shoves them both away from the door and towards the straight-backed chair that sits across from Arthur’s desk.

“Going to fuck you right here,” Merlin tilts his head and whispers in Arthur’s ear, smirking when he feels a groan rumble up from the blond’s chest. “Turn you around so you can look out on the club, might even fuck you up against the glass.” Merlin gives a gentle shove and steps back before issuing his first order, “Strip, but leave the tie.” The grin he gets in response sends a bolt of pleasure straight to his groin and he covers it up with a laugh as Arthur almost falls on his face in his haste to get naked, even as Merlin strips his own shirt off, tossing it toward the desk.

While Arthur is working his collar under his tie, he tilts his head and looks at Merlin. “What’s with the tie?” he asks, making a triumphant little noise as he loosens the tie just enough to slide his collar out from underneath it.

Merlin’s responding grin is sly and he approaches Arthur like he’s a particularly tasty piece of prey. “Gives me something to hold onto,” he says, voice low and husky as he reaches up and wraps the tie around his hand, pulling Arthur in for another kiss. It’s messy and mostly a clash of teeth and tongue, lacking the finesse of their previous kisses but Merlin doesn’t care. He’s got Arthur naked and hard – if the insistent prodding in his upper thigh is anything to go by – and it’s because he _wants_ Arthur, not because Arthur is his boss or there’s been an exchange of cash beforehand. He bites down on Arthur’s bottom lip and tugs, delighting in the way Arthur moans, which sends arousal thrumming through his veins to coil low in his belly.

Merlin pulls back and tugs down on the tie still in his grip. “Knees, now,” he orders, adjusting the tie around Arthur’s throat so he can still hold onto it while Arthur is knelt at his feet. With his free hand, he cups the back of Arthur’s head, tangling his fingers in his hair before gently guiding him forward to his crotch. Merlin keeps as still as he possibly can when Arthur’s fingers reach up and trace over the placket of his trousers before unbuckling his belt and slipping the zipper down slowly over his cloth-covered erection. It’s not until Arthur has his nose pressed to Merlin’s groin and his hot breath washes over him that Merlin’s resolve to be stoic starts to crumble. He forces his eyes open and tilts his head forward in time to watch as Arthur drags his tongue across the cotton of his briefs.

“Fuck,” Merlin whispers, his fingers tightening in Arthur’s hair. 

“Take it out,” he murmurs, giving a sharp tug on the tie. Arthur looks up at Merlin then and Merlin can see his gaze darkening and a he can see the tremble in Arthur’s fingers as he tugs at the elastic waistband to remove the last barrier between his cock and Arthur’s lips. He untangles his fingers from Arthur’s hair and grabs his dick, gently nudging the tip against Arthur’s full, bottom lip. “Want to watch you suck it,” he says with another tug of the tie and he can see the shiver make its way down Arthur’s spine and the goose-flesh appear across his broad shoulders.

Arthur’s tongue comes out and flicks at the slit before curling around Merlin’s cock-head and sliding between his parted lips. Merlin’s knees tremble as he’s engulfed in damp warmth and he reaches out to steady himself on Arthur’s head. Arthur’s cheeks hollow as he continues to suck Merlin down to the root, his nose brushing against the coarse dark curls the surround Merlin. Merlin can feel, as well as hear, the harsh breaths Arthur is making through his nose as he just holds Merlin in his mouth, the tip of his tongue tracing patterns along the underside of his shaft. Merlin whimpers when Arthur’s jaw shifts and he swallows. The moment Merlin feels the tip of his cock nudge against and past the muscles of Arthur’s throat is the moment his knees buckle.

“Fuck,” he pants, the knuckles where he grips Arthur’s tie are white and he can’t help the sharp thrust of his hips which make Arthur gag. “Fuck, Arthur,” he gasps, yanking Arthur off his cock and up off the floor via the tie. “Such a perfect fucking mouth,” he whispers before slamming Arthur’s mouth against his and sucking the taste of himself from Arthur’s tongue.

A whine tickles the back of Merlin’s throat when he feels blunt nails scrabble at his shoulders and Arthur’s heavy cock rutting against his… a tiny furrow mars Merlin’s brow as he looks down at his waist and see Arthur rutting against the woven leather of his belt. “Jesus Christ,” he mutters, head falling forward to rest on Arthur’s shoulder and just watch as Arthur tries to get himself off using Merlin’s leather belt. Arthur’s pick is hard and red, precome sliding down the side of it and easing the slide against Merlin’s belt and Merlin can’t believe just how fucking intense it is to watch Arthur humping against a strip of leather. He reaches out to grab Arthur’s hips, stilling them and easing them away from his waist before he shimmies out of his trousers, pants and shoes and tugs Arthur’s mouth back to his.

They don’t kiss, but they do share breath and for Merlin it is the most intimate thing he has ever done with someone and it sends a frisson of excitement across every nerve ending.

“Fuck me?” Merlin asks Arthur, already looking to the windows overlooking the crowded club.

“Oh God,” Arthur groans, the sound reverberating through Merlin to pool in his groin, making him harder.

“Mmmm,” Merlin hums, a smile tugging at his lips. “Fuck me, up against the window, so we can see all the people of Albion.” He steps away from Arthur, chuckling breathlessly when the other man moans at the loss of contact. Rifling in his trousers, he comes up with his wallet, stopping only to glare at Arthur as he wraps a large hand around his cock and starts to stroke. He fumbles with his wallet, distracted at the picture Arthur paints; naked against the backdrop of changing lights and swirling smoke out in the club proper, hard and flushed. When his fingers finally alight on the two small foil packets in his wallet, he gives a shout of triumph, dumps his wallet onto the floor and reaches for Arthur’s tie to tug him towards the window.

When he places the packet of lube and condom in Arthur’s hand, he can’t ignore the raised eyebrow Arthur throws at him. “Habit,” Merlin mutters before twisting so he’s in front of Arthur, the tie hanging over his shoulder. “Now, are you going to use them, or just stare at them?” Merlin asks, rolling his hips backwards and against Arthur’s cock,

Merlin can see Arthur’s reflection in the window in front of him and he braces his forearm against the glass when he feels Arthur’s hand at the back of his neck, pushing him forward. From his position against the glass, Merlin can see out into the crowd of bodies in the room below, it’s not long before he can see the girl with the freckles standing on a low table of some kind with Gwaine behind her, holding her close and Merlin wonders for a moment if Arthur’s correct; if that is Gwaine and his sweetheart. He drags his eyes away from the dance floor and towards the bar and sees Percy escorting someone from the club and he has to bite his lip to keep from laughing. He’s not into public displays. He doesn’t get off on people watching him, but this? Watching the world stumble around drunkenly below while Arthur fucks him against the window? This has him so hard he could pound nails.

His thoughts scatter when he feels a slick, blunt fingertip probing at his hole. He tugs on Arthur’s tie and pulls him as close as he can, twisting his head to lick and nip at Arthur’s jaw, widening his stance a little to give Arthur more access. His grip on the tie relaxes when Arthur’s finger slips inside him to the first knuckle, Merlin’s head falling forward to look down at the bar. For a minute, he forgets that the glass is only one-way and a bolt of pure adrenaline shoots through his core and he wants someone to look up and see them, see him come apart in the arms of this man who made Merlin break all of his personal rules to get to this point.

A second finger joins the first and Merlin gasps, the fire in his belly flaring to life, licking at every nerve ending from the top of his head, to the tips of his toes and coalescing in the base of his spine. “I’m ready,” he stutters breathlessly, grinding back against Arthur’s hand as he scissors and twists his fingers, getting Merlin ready. “Fuck, _please_ Arthur.”

Arthur’s chuckle is dark and rich and makes Merlin’s think of honey on a hot day. “Now who’s begging?” He asks and adds a third, which Merlin is one hundred percent sure is just to hear him whine and scratch at the glass. “Look at them out there,” Arthur says softly, his breath washing over Merlin’s ear and sending shivers down his spine. “Can you imagine how many of them would want you if they saw you?” He nips and sucks at a spot on Merlin’s neck that Merlin’s never really cared about before but _fuck_ if Arthur doesn’t somehow find a way to make that spot feel in some way connected to his cock.

Merlin shakes his head, “Not me,” he says breathlessly, grinding back onto Arthur’s hand, gasping at the pleasant stretch and burn of his muscles. “You.”

“Oh no,” Arthur says, pulling his hand away and suckling the back of Merlin’s neck to soothe when Merlin starts whimpering at the loss. “They wouldn’t be able to look away from you,” he says and Merlin can hear him fumble with the condom wrapper before exhaling through his teeth. In Merlin’s mind, he can see the way Arthur rolls the condom on, just enough pressure on his cock to take the edge off before lining it up with Merlin’s arse. The head scuds downs Merlin’s crack, catching on the rim of Merlin’s hole and making him cry out. 

“Just imagine if they could see us,” Arthur continues to whisper as he sinks into Merlin and Merlin can see the way he bites his lower lip in the reflection of the glass. “I’ve no doubt,” he groans as he bottoms out and pulls Merlin’s hips snuggly back against his own. “That they’d trample me to get to you; you’re so fucking beautiful like this.”

Merlin doesn’t say anything, _can’t_ say anything. Arthur filling him up and stretching him from the inside out has left him breathless and on the edge of something so huge it’s almost terrifying.

Almost.

Arthur’s tie brushes against Merlin’s shoulder and he reaches for it, yanking Arthur down to Merlin’s shoulder as he starts to thrust in earnest. The time for speaking is done and Merlin can’t wait anymore. He smashes his mouth against Arthur’s. The angel is awkward and it’s more teeth and tongues than anything else, but between that and the way Arthur is thrusting into him, tilting his hips until he manages to hit that spot that has Merlin seeing stars and huffing warm air against Arthur’s chin.

“Oh Jesus,” Merlin moans, head falling back on Arthur’s shoulder, the sounds of skin slapping against skin and their ragged breathing are the only sounds in the office and it’s driving Merlin higher, pushing him closer to tipping over that edge. He looks down and can see his cock waving obscenely up at him, thick and glistening with precome and the lights from out in the club dancing over it, making it look absurd. Merlin can’t help it, he laughs. His whole body tightens around Arthur involuntarily and that. is. _it_.

Arthur’s strangled cry of, “Merlin!” is all Merlin needs to hear and he wraps his hand around his dick and strokes once… twice… three times and a swipe of his thumb over the head and he’s free-falling off the edge of Something Momentous right after Arthur. His vision whites out and he can feel a dull, blunt pain in his left shoulder which keeps him grounded enough to look down at his spent cock. His gaze lingers before drifting to the crowd below, and there on the window he sees it.

“Oh, fuck,” Arthur whispers into his shoulder and he knows that Arthur can see it too. Thick, pearly ropes of come splashed across the panel of glass in front of them.

“Hmm,” Merlin hums, wincing softly when Arthur pulls away – no doubt to dispose of the condom. “Gotta clean the windows,” he says softly, slumping into a boneless heap on the floor before reaching up to smear some of the come on the window.

Arthur’s laugh is breathless and he tosses something damp at Merlin so he can clean the mess they made of the glass and Merlin is now pretty sure he’s begun to catalogue each of Arthur’s laughs. Not that he minds, it’s something he wants to be able to do. He startles a little when he feels a warm body wrap itself around his back before relaxing back into Arthur’s embrace. Merlin smiles to feel Arthur’s lips brushing the skin of his temple as their heartbeats slow and their bones slowly regain some kind of solidity. They sit and watch the world below them moving to a silent rhythm.

Eventually, Merlin’s backside is numb from where it’s sitting on the floor and as he stretches, he feels Arthur tense up behind him.

“Don’t go just yet?” Arthur’s voice is soft and all shades of vulnerable that Merlin turns in his arms and pushes him back onto the floor until he can clamber over him and invade Arthur’s space.

“Not going anywhere,” he answers softly, crowding Arthur until all he can see is Merlin. “Not for a long while.” He captures Arthur’s lips in his and the kiss is slow and relaxed. Unhurried. When he pulls back and can smile down at Arthur, cheeks dimpling with the size of his grin, he knows that some rules were made to be broken.

~Fin~


End file.
